How to disable VSC?

I'm glad to know the VSC really works.

 

Just curious why you bought a car with a safety feature you later want to disable?

 

It is his right to ask about this. Amped wants an answer; not another question. Sorry, I guess you were just curious, but you are questioning amped's motives.

He mentioned autocross. Many autocrossers prefer to handle sideways situations on their own, without fancy computers trying to keep the car going straight. I autocrossed my Celica, so I ordered it without ABS, which is pretty silly for most people, but I prefer to be able to skid if I need to during an autocross.

I don't know the answer. You could buy the manuals and start pulling fuses.

 

My statement that was originally in this box was inconsiderate. I hereby proclaim it null and void.

Ken

 

I assume it's going to take a lot of work, since there are three different computers for VSC (one's underneath the armrest, saw it when I was putting in the navigation mod). Personally, I'm guessing it's not something easily disabled, for obvious liability reasons. I'd also suggest checking out the techinfo.toyota.com site, possibly the wiring manual, definately the repair manual will have more info on it.

-m.

 

I don't know about disabling the VSC, but I don't think it's possible, and apparently not a good idea to disable the Traction Control.

The Traction Control is said to do more than just keep wheels from spinning for your benefit.

Because of the way that the Engine and Motors are tied together, and because there isn't a clutch per-se to 'slip', it seems the Traction Control is necessary to keep things from over-revving if the wheels lose traction.

 

True, but most people are also not intelligent or calm enough in a crash scenario to do what needs to be done. Drive in any major city especially in the US, and you'll see drivers blocking emergency vehicles, driving with their lights off in the rain/darkness (it's illegal here, yet not enforced), and so on.

As Americans we want to do everything in our car but drive, and we're heading in the direction of the cars driving for us. Which will be sad, because I love driving!

-m.

 

Please keep in mind the intent of VSC. Each manufacturer determines a vehicle response they prefer, and VSC is tuned to their liking. The intent of VSC is to allow "average" or below drivers to regain control of a vehicle which would otherwise spin or under/over steer severely. Some manufacturers specify strong (conservative) intervention, some mild intervention. The sportier the car, the more likely it will be autocrossed or rally raced, the milder the intervention in general. Most sport sedans and vehicles like the Corvette offer a switch to disable VSC for track use, a "competition mode" which further reduces intervention, or a combination of both. The Prius is a conservative vehicle based on the suspension design, tuning, and tires. If you change the vehicle characteristics, such as tires, you can get into VSC when you may not necessarily think you need it. This is a continuing issue with chassis controls, be they ABS, TCS, or now VSC. As each system is tuned for a particular vehicle behavior, and there are limits to the amount of robustness that can be achieved, modifications to the vehicle will most always affect system performance. When you change the way the vehicle behaves, the controls are less robust. Then there is the somewhat unique way Toyota has implemented VSC, but that is another discussion.

I should be able to dig into this in May and determine if and how a VSC disable switch can be implemented without disabling ABS. As the system does not appear to be designed for a switch (there would likely be no auto reset), there could be serious safety issues if someone forgot to turn it back on and the wife/husband or kid went for a drive. Properly calibrated VSC has been conclusively proven to assist in maintaining vehicle control. Several tests have attempted to spin vehicles, even during high speed maneuvers on gravel, without success. Not that all vehicles are arguably properly calibrated.

 

The US does not have a long history with VSC, but other areas do, and there are studies appearing there indicating that it can significantly reduce single vehicle accidents.

The major benefit of VSC apparently isn't in pure accident avoidance (swerving around the refrigerator in the road), but in keeping people from going off-road when driving solo, particularly when encountering unexpected slick conditions

http://money.cnn.com/2003/09/25/pf/autos/what_is_esc/

"Now two studies from Europe and Japan -- where consumers have more widely embraced the systems -- confirm what I've long believed: that stability control may be second only to seat belts in safeguarding drivers and passengers.

Toyota found that electronic stability control reduced single-vehicle crashes in Japan by a remarkable 35 percent and head-on crashes by 30 percent. And in the European study, Mercedes-Benz, whose lineup has sported ESC as a standard feature since 1999, reported a 29 percent drop in single-vehicle accidents; crashes of all types fell 15 percent.

Those kinds of results could prevent as many as 6,000 of the nearly 43,000 crash-related deaths each year in the U.S. -- dramatically more than air bags, which have saved about 800 lives annually since 1987, according to the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration (NHTSA)."


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An interesting tidbit is that it helps SUV safety more than regular automobiles. That rollover thing you know

 

ABS was met with the same initial feelings. The data suggested it reduced accident damage, not necessarily accident rates. Some insurance companies then offered discounts, then tried to repeal them because further data did not show accident reduction. However, over the study period, while mean miles dramatically increased as did the number of vehicles on the road, the accident rate did not increase. This was clearly significantly positive. But with data, you can often create your desired conclusions.

ABS is intended for accident avoidance, offering directional control, steering while braking (within physical limits), and generally shorter stopping distances. Traction Control is the inverse of ABS, intended to reduce wheel slip during acceleration to maximize a combination of directional control and acceleration rate. VSC (stability control) is intended to keep the vehicle in the driver's intended path in non braking conditions. Roll-over stability control is the next evolution, in progress as we speak, adding more precise intervention specifically tailored to high center of gravity vehicle behavior, keying in on vehicle movement that occurs just before a roll-over might. All benefit most every driver, however they are not intended, in general, to function optimally, or at all, in race type conditions. Except for the "track" settings I mentioned previously.

 

No, I believe it was a judgement that amped is not a logical person. I think amped explained his position in his post. Also, we all know that only certain packages are available. My #7 came with VSC, but I really just wanted the side air bags and rear wiper, and the HID lights were a nice feature. amped asked for no lectures. I firmly believe we should attempt to offer answers to his question, instead of questions. Unfortunately, we often see "answers" such as "Why on earth would you want to do that?".

If you do not trust the judgement of a person, you might ask why they are asking a question. Example: a person asks his doctor how to disable his liver. The doctor could answer the question, but it seems likely that the person is looney drunk. In this case, the doctor should question the motives of the patient. (I threw this example in for humor)

Meanwhile, we are wasting bandwidth by not answering amped question. I am interested in the answers too, as I have spent much time lapping a few race tracks on the east coast and autocrossing, and I know that ABS, Traction Control, and VSC can hinder maximum handling performance in a vehicle.

My point is that we should answer questions, not question questions.

Ken

 

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Has anybody found a way to disable VSC since this post? I've tried a search to no avail. I didn't want VSC when I bought the car, but it came with the HID's and GPS system.

Sean